What is the purpose of a "constructor" in object-oriented programming?

A constructor in object-oriented programming serves the primary purpose of initializing properties of a new object upon its creation. When you create an instance of a class, the constructor is called automatically, allowing you to set initial values for the object's attributes and prepare the object for use. This ensures that the object starts in a valid state and has all the necessary data set up before being interacted with.

For instance, if you have a class representing a "Car," the constructor could be used to initialize its properties like color, model, and year. This means that every time a new Car object is created, it will have these properties defined appropriately, making the object ready for functional use without additional setup steps. This aspect of constructors is essential in maintaining consistency and correctness within your code structure.